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Weekly Newsletter - 9.1.2025

Plus: How AI is Revolutionizing EHCPs: A Caseworker’s Perspective🤖

Author

Rafe Houston
January 09, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

EHCP

✨Welcome to the EHCP Community Newsletter!✨

We’re thrilled to have you as part of this exclusive community of professionals dedicated to transforming the EHCP process. As champions of innovation in SEND services, you’re at the forefront of shaping how AI can support better outcomes for children, families, and caseworkers alike.

Our weekly newsletter will share the latest developments in SEND, EHCPs and how Generative AI is transforming government services. Below you will find curated articles, thought pieces, success stories, and expert insights to help you understand how new types of technology and training can improve citizen services and ensure children, young people and families are better served through local government.

So do engage, read the articles that interest you and share any perspectives you have as we all seek to make a lasting difference to lives of children and young people.

To ensure you never miss an edition, please add [email protected] to your contact list

EHCP FUNDING CRISIS

Rising costs strain schools' budgets, threatening support for special needs education like EHCPs. Insufficient funding increases pressure on SEND provisions and requires creative fundraising to maintain services. Government intervention is crucial to counter the funding gap. This situation impacts EHCP professionals, necessitating adaptive strategies to uphold essential educational support.

Hi all, I’m Sarah - a former SEND Caseworker and now a SEND Advisor with Agilisys Transform helping create the next generation of AI tools for improving SEND provision. I was not always involved in SEND, as previously I was an editor of children’s educational books. I developed a passion for children’s learning and development so later re-trained and became a teacher in a special school. Following this, I worked as a SEND Caseworker/EHC Plan Writer for around 12 years. As a teacher and caseworker, my main focus has always been in improving outcomes for children with SEND and their families.

Due to drastic budget cuts to Local Authorities and particularly SEND Departments over the last 14 years, the difference I could make to outcomes for children as a Caseworker became negligible. It was impossible to meet statutory deadlines and get EHC Plans written on time for young people and their families. It also became increasingly difficult to engage with families due to time constraints and this created a lot of frustration and hurt for parents/carers and young people. I became frustrated that the system meant to support young people with SEND to achieve their full potential was failing them.

One day I was contacted by Agilisys (totally out of the blue!). They had seen my profile on LinkedIn and wanted to discuss a possible role as a SEND Practitioner, providing my insight into a suite of Generative AI tools that they were building with SEND professionals across the country. A week later, I was working in their London office as an EHCP/SEND advisor on the development of their flagship EHC Plan writing tool, ‘EHCP Plus’!

Moving into the world of tech and AI has been a steep learning curve for me, but I have been so impressed by the dedication of everyone here and their commitment to using technology to improve lives. It has been really inspirational and I can see the huge difference that EHCP Plus will make with regard to reducing the time taken to write an EHCP and ensuring that people like me who were Caseworkers and EHC plan writers can spend more time with families.

You will be seeing my face every week, as I share some of my key learnings and insights on technology, AI and the impact they can have on SEND services. This will be digestible accessible content, written for people who may not be incredibly familiar with Generative AI and the beneficial impact it can have on your work. I am learning as I go, just like you – so if you have any thoughts – please do add me on LinkedIn and I would love to hear them!

EDUCATION SUPPORT

The demand for special educational needs support in Darlington has surged, leading to capacity constraints. A new strategy for 2025-29, featuring five key areas, aims to address this by improving pathways into adulthood. A recent public consultation will inform final strategy approval later this year.

EHCP TECHNOLOGY

The world of SEND is facing a real crisis. Case workers are overwhelmed with growing caseloads, endless paperwork, and the pressure to meet deadlines, all while trying to ensure that every child gets the support they deserve.

That’s where EHCP Plus comes in. Designed with case workers in mind, this innovative tool harnesses the power of Generative AI to completely transform how EHCPs are created and managed. With EHCP Plus, you can save hours on drafting plans, reduce errors, and streamline the whole process, giving you more time to focus on what really matters—helping children and their families.

We’ve all seen how delays and inconsistencies in EHCPs can affect the lives of children with special educational needs. It’s not just about meeting deadlines; it’s about making sure each child gets the tailored support they need to thrive.

If you’re ready to see how EHCP Plus can transform your SEND services, watch on to learn more. Together, we can make a difference.

EHCP COMPLIANCE

Buckinghamshire Council was fined £350 for delays in finalising an educational health and care plan (EHCP) for Ms X's daughter due to a shortage of educational psychologists. The Ombudsman upheld her complaint. The Council acknowledged the issue and aims to improve amid national recruitment challenges.

EDUCATION FUNDING

The UK faces a severe crisis in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision. Labour's inquiry, deemed ineffective, coincides with councils nearing bankruptcy, and costly tribunal failures. State support declines, forcing reliance on profit-driven private providers. Expanding social inequality exacerbates educational challenges, demanding urgent reform and coordinated action.